(One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2010) A ballerina dancing The Sleeping Beauty today is a link in a long chain of dancers stretching back to 16th-century Italy and France, with graceful movements that recall a world of courts, kings, and aristocracy, as well as steps and gestures that mark the seismic cultural shifts of subsequent eras. Ballet is a unique form in having no written texts or standardized notation; it is a storytelling art passed on from teacher to student. The steps are never just the steps—they are a living, breathing document of a culture and a tradition. And while ballet's language is shared by dancers everywhere, its artists have developed distinct national styles. This abundantly illustrated cultural history from dance critic and historian Jennifer Homans, herself a former professional ballet dancer, traces ballet's evolution of technique, choreography, and performance, offering vivid descriptions of dances and the artists who made them.